Reinventing the Basics

What's great about women's fashion is how diverse it is and how it is continually evolving. There is not one set style or piece of clothing that stays the same. Designers are always challenging the form and function of clothes, transforming the simple, the utilitarian, the nondescript into something unique, artful and interesting. The basics of clothing -- pants, tops, skirts, dresses -- are rarely created equally. The art of fashion design forces one to reinvent what has already been done a million times before, and that seem to me to be the most difficult thing for any kind of artist to accomplish.  Yet every year designers get to showcase that talent and allow the public to be entranced by their cleverness and their inventiveness. And just like most art, it is subjective. One person's love for a designer could be another person's aversion. The hope is that one can appreciate the effort and skill put into the design, whether it is personally liked or disliked. And so, to that end, here are my subjective picks of what I consider to be my designer winners of this year's Fall RTW lines.

All photos from style.com

 3.1 Phillip Lim                                                            L.A.M.B

   Marc by Marc Jacobs                                                       Bill Blass               

What I love about these looks: L-o-v-e the bright, bold green pants from Phillip Lim; enjoying the ethnic-preppy look from L.A.M.B; adore the fresh colored plaid suit with pops of color from Marc Jacobs; and drooling over the classic and sophisticated styling of Bill Blass.

 Monique Lhuillier                                                    Oscar de la Renta

 Alice + Olive

What I love about these looks: Dying for what looks like a silk quilted, black-tie cinched jacket and velvet pencil skirt by Monique Lhuillier (How decadent can you get?!); can't get enough of the eggplant, form-fitting and Mad-Men inspiring shift from Oscar de la Renta; and obsessing over the fur-trimmed, opulent and slightly over-the-top look from Alice + Olive.

 Jason Wu                                                                 Anna Sui

 Donna Karen                                                                  Jill Stuart

What I love about these looks: Wishing I was the first lady so I could wear this Jason Wu design fit for a classy lady at a classy event; feeling a little wild looking at the seductive and intriguing patterns of Anna Sui's dress; going ga-ga over Donna Karen's monochromatic and beautifully draped dress; and channeling that flirty and chic vibe from Jill Stuart's colorful and multi-dimension fabrics and patterns.